Smith & Wesson model 41

[HuckleberryFun]

Does anyone else here have a S&W Model 41 .22 target pistol? Popular with bullseye shooters and other eccentrics hung up on accuracy above all, it's been in production since the '50s. What is your experience with your 41? Mine is very accurate, but finicky about what ammo it likes, which is not uncommon in this model.

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[Certaindeaf]

No. I'm jealous though. What barrel length and all? pic?
I've had a perfect 4" SW 422 with target sights for about 30 years now.. the poor man's 41.. takes the same mags is its claim to fame (lol).. I love it though.

edit to add grabbed pic.. behold, one of the ugliest pistols of all time! the 422

 

[Silver Hand]

If you have, or have read the owners manual there you will find information regarding the use of target or standard velocity ammunition only.
My Father shot his mod 41 with an 8-3/8'' barrel attached was a cuts compensator.
Mine was a 5-1/2''heavy barrel that included a dovetail sliding sight extension. I shot it for four years in competition then stuffed it into a holster and packed it through the woods for enough years it actually started to rust. It shot anything it was feed and never missed a beat.
When in my prime I shot under an inch at twenty five yards once, in a slow fire competition. I will bet I still have the target but that old Mod 41 was sold off for more than I thought it was worth given it's condition.
Silver Hand

 

[HuckleberryFun]

Here's a pic of my Model 41 with the 5 1/2" barrel. Serial number puts the production date at late 1985-early '86. I only shoot standard velocity rounds through it. It will feed HV just fine, but that was just to see that it could. It was designed around standard velocity and high velocity would beat it up too much I think.

 

[WAYNO]

...This is a holy grail gun for many mature shooters. The irony is, there's not much I haven't owned over the years, but the 41 is one gun that's eluded me, in spite of me always wanting one. They've always been just a little bit spendy, but not out of reach. A good used one goes for 12-hundred bucks now. I have shot them, and they are a very naturally-nice shooter.

Wonderful gun you have.

WAYNO.

 

[Silver Hand]

Huckleberry,
I purchased mine new back in about 1970 and apart from a few trips early squirrel hunting I babied that pistol for four about four years. After I left the Westchester county police pistol range, I decided to take my Mod 41 on every fishing, hunting, camping trip or adventure I was on.

When I was a foot in the out doors it was holstered and with me always and when it got used it worked flawlessly on small game or otherwise just tin cans or targets. I was shooting four days a week before hand using target ammo and I would bet at least as close to that many high velocity rounds went through it over the next four or more decades of use.

It never saw another target round for its entire life.

There might have been a bit of an impression on the slides face and on the barrel's chamber face from the slide hitting a bit harder wile operating for those many thousands of CCI/HPs or my favorite and most accurate hunting round CCI Stingers

Mechanically it was fine after fifty years of use and it shot as well as I could see and was capable of better.

The bluing had worn off quite a bit and the grips had a chip or two in them as I recall there was a ding in the rear right blade of the sight, But otherwise as a shooter it was as good as new.

As this pistol opened my eyes as a shooter, from that time on I have never owned a safe queen. Life is short you cannot take it with you so why not use it up and let the collectors collect the safe queens that never get shot.

Silver Hand

 

[Certaindeaf]

Well said, Silver Hand. My model 41 is a 4" Browning Nomad that's been in the family for about forty years.. that thing gets brought on every camping trip (holstered) and has shot hundreds of thousands of rounds without fail and is still as good as new.

 

[Silver Hand]

Certaindeaf I believe the Browning line of .22 semi automatics is about the most under rated works of machined steel and simplicity in the market today. It is one of the better values for a fun and accurate pistol that I have seen on NWF.
They seem to sell for less than what they should be valued, My opinion! Always a reliable side arm .
Silver Hand

 

[HuckleberryFun]

Huckleberry,
I purchased mine new back in about 1970 and apart from a few trips early squirrel hunting I babied that pistol for four about four years. After I left the Westchester county police pistol range, I decided to take my Mod 41 on every fishing, hunting, camping trip or adventure I was on.

When I was a foot in the out doors it was holstered and with me always and when it got used it worked flawlessly on small game or otherwise just tin cans or targets. I was shooting four days a week before hand using target ammo and I would bet at least as close to that many high velocity rounds went through it over the next four or more decades of use.

It never saw another target round for its entire life.

There might have been a bit of an impression on the slides face and on the barrel's chamber face from the slide hitting a bit harder wile operating for those many thousands of CCI/HPs or my favorite and most accurate hunting round CCI Stingers

Mechanically it was fine after fifty years of use and it shot as well as I could see and was capable of better.

The bluing had worn off quite a bit and the grips had a chip or two in them as I recall there was a ding in the rear right blade of the sight, But otherwise as a shooter it was as good as new.

As this pistol opened my eyes as a shooter, from that time on I have never owned a safe queen. Life is short you cannot take it with you so why not use it up and let the collectors collect the safe queens that never get shot.

Silver Hand

Smith & Wesson offers a nice looking leather holster for the 41:
<broken link removed>

 

[ma96782]

I used to shoot 2700 matches. So, I have two of them (long and short bbl).

Yes, ammo could be a problem. They will work just fine with "promo ammo." But, most of my problems lay with failure to extract w/ standard ammo (in the 5" bbl M41). Some will say to "work" on the extractor.

Anyway.......as expected, the accuracy is with the match ammo. And, I don't have a problem with failure to extract when using CCI Green Tag Ammo.

Aloha, Mark

 

[HuckleberryFun]

Good info, Mark. Thanks. Are you not into Bullseye anymore at all? I hear one of the clubs in Vancouver has a league, but I don't know which one.

 

[ma96782]

No more 2700 for me. I lost interest when scoped pistols became the vogue.

Aloha, Mark

 

[jbett98]

I found a mint in box early 60's model 41 at an estate sale a couple of years ago for $500.00 and sold it to a collector back East for twice what I paid within minutes of my Armslist ad popping up on the net.
I sure wanted to keep it, but I'm a lousy shot and it would be better off in rich guys collection.

 

[KKG]

I own 5 of the Model 41s including one that has been Factory converted to .22Short. I also own 2 of the Model 46s and a good number of additional barrels for the Model 41s.

I am a Collector and a Shooter.

 

[Silver Hand]

If I am not mistaken S&W offered the Mod. 41 In a .22 cal short in the late 1960 or the early 1970s.
They were all designed to shoot sub sonic, that was the reason for the standard velocity or target grade ammunition.
Silver Hand

 

[KKG]

If I am not mistaken S&W offered the Mod. 41 In a .22 cal short in the late 1960 or the early 1970s.
Silver Hand

Yes, S&W built the Model 41-1 for the International shooting community in .22Short but they also made the Conversion Kits for those who already owned the "Standard" Version in .22LR. They also offered some of the Model 41s with the Conversion Kits as a package deal. When you purchased the Conversion Kit you could send it back to the Factory to be "fitted" at a very reasonable fee.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

I competed in bullseye for 5 years and my team had a few m41s. They were nice guns, but only seamed to run on the hotter stuff. They did not like the target grade .22lr that was subsonic. Accuracy was great, but I shot my custom Ruger Mk1 a lot better.

 

[KKG]

If the MK-1 works for you then that is what you should shoot. I've been using SV ammunition in Model 41s for nearly 50 years without problems. So I must be doing something right. KKG